2018 Photo Contest, Contemporary Issues, 2nd prize

Feeding China

Photographer

George Steinmetz

20 June, 2016

Workers process meat in the main cutting room of Jinluo Meat, in Shandong, eastern China. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of pork, and the market is growing rapidly.

Rapidly rising incomes in China have led to a changing diet and increasing demand for meat, dairy and processed foods. China needs to make use of some 12 percent of the world’s arable land to feed nearly 19% of the global population.

New technologies and agricultural reform offer a partial solution, but problems remain as farmers and the young flock to work in cities, leaving an aging rural population, and as land becomes contaminated by industry.

About the photographer

George Steinmetz

Technical information

Shutter Speed
1/30
Focal length
24.0 mm
F-Stop
3.5
ISO
800

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